Project Z
by SeBea
Summary: In the city of Townsville, emotions and willpower are unknown to humanity. One day, three girls and three boys begin to feel these emotions and discover their special powers. Will they be able to find each other and uncover the mysteries of their past? Or will they remain alone? REDS, BLUES AND GREENS. AU.
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Powerpuff Girls. Never have, most likely never will.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Prologue**

_-SeBea-_

**Towsville Tribune  
**September 23th, 2015

_**WHERE ARE THE POWERPUFF GIRLS?**_

Three weeks ago, the Powerpuff girls have been reported missing from the Utonium residence. Professor John Utonium has been very concerned for the safety of his daughters and many friends and families have expressed their sadness over the disappearance of our city's superheroes.

During the absence of the girls, the city has now suffered countless attacks from numerous monsters, and thus, the bills for the repairs have jumped up to an astronomically high level, nearly bankrupting the city and nearly destroying its economic stability.

Adding to the monster attacks, police reports have been saying that a team of Townsville villains have been plotting to attack the city while the Powerpuff girls are gone. Whether this team is responsible for the disappearance of the three girls is still unknown. This team is, for now, composed of Townsville's own Mojo Jojo, Gangreen gang, Fuzzy Lumpkins and Him.

The citizens are more alarmed than ever. Authorities have advised people to stay indoors as much as possible.

Yesterday, the Mayor declined the Townsville Protection Program, an operation which would have consisted of building high walls around the city in order to protect it from invaders.

"I believe in the Powerpuff girls." Said Mayor J. Mayor when asked to justify his choice. "They will not abandon us."

However, while his opinions is shared by the near totality of Townsville, the status of the city's beloved protectors is still unknown.

It might not be long before Townsville has nothing else. And with that, I ask Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup,

Where are you?

_Written by Robin Snyder_


	2. ONE: The Rose that Grew from Concrete

**PROJECT Z**

**Part 1 – Fall**

**I. The Rose that Grew from Concrete**

_-SeBea-_

It was a pleasure to run away.

Buttercup stretched her muscles slightly and began to run. She ran as fast as she could, relishing the feeling of the wind on her face. She had started to run away everyday ever since she had noticed nobody could spot her. This place of the city was nearly abandoned.

She was scared of her abilities at first, but she quickly grew accustomed to the growing sensation in her stomach that followed her every day. It had been years since those sensations had started, and it was getting harder and harder to conceal them from everybody.

But even after months of searching for an answer, she still didn't know what they were.

Her mind was racing, she was feeling lighter and lighter by the second and her skin was glowing in a very faint lime green colour. Her legs, moving at a speed that would be considered inhumane, carried her to the southern part of the limit of the floating city of Townsville. Surrounded by low clouds and the blue sky, the brunette looked down at the drop she was about to make. She was perfectly aware it was illegal to leave the city. She knew that if she were to get caught, the consequences would be fatal.

However, the sensations and feelings in her stomach grew and urged her to go forward. It felt like a survival instinct to her, a force, and an energy that was more powerful than any one of her rational thought and will to obey to authority.

She needed answers, she needed to keep searching the lands below.

Her body felt a familiar rush that she still couldn't explain. Energy flowed from everywhere and she felt herself growing light, yet energized.

_So light._ She thought. This was the moment.

She took a few steps back, and then ran as fast as she could before she jumped off the floating city.

Her ears popped and she let herself fall, stretching her arms to the side in order to gain more balance. As always, she sped up and braced herself for the landing. Right before hitting the ground, she lifted her body upwards and spiralled in a movement parallel to the ground. Her heart was pounding at the feeling.

Buttercup was flying, and it made her heart soar.

Her feet brushed the ground and she let herself fall, executing a perfect landing for the hundredth time.

The world on the ground was extremely different from the floating city of Townsville. Buildings that looked somewhat antique compared to the modern architecture she was used to, were nearly all destroyed and unsafe. The roads were empty and broken. The air was thick with smog and loneliness.

It felt like a desert. There was no noise and no movement. Only solitude.

"People used to live here." Buttercup said to herself. She knew not because of the overwhelming archeological evidence that could easily prove this, but rather because she just…knew. She somehow felt a strong attachment to this place, although she could not understand why.

She began to walk, knowing that time was scarce, and started to search. She had to find something this time, she had to find answers.

Why was she the only one who could fly?

Why was she the only one experiencing those sensations and feelings?

Why was she always glowing green every time she came down here?

Buttercup had searched nearly half the city during the three months, searching for anything that could explain her condition. It surprised her that she had been able to fly for now three months without being detected. The green-eyed girl had wondered whether or not she had other abilities like that, but as for now, she could only fly.

_I shouldn't be so greedy. Flying is already alarming on its own. _She thought to herself.

However, a part of her felt like she was…destined to be able to do more than just flying. Just the thought of it made her body glow even more.

"Where have I not searched yet?" She asked herself aloud. The city on the ground was enormous.

Then, something caught her eye.

There was a volcano, located at approximately twenty five kilometers south from the center of the abandoned city. Buttercup frowned in confusion. How had she not noticed such a striking thing before?

However, the volcano was not the only thing that surprised her. She suddenly felt like her vision was being enhanced. Her eyes could now focus slightly more on details and small things that were very far away.

And that was how she spotted what looked like an observation tower on top of the volcano.

Suddenly, her body rushed and was filled with energy. Every fiber in her body was telling her to go investigate that observation tower. Her instincts burned and she felt herself lift from the ground without her brain's consent. Buttercup was flying towards the volcano when-

"Buttercup, where are you?" Her sister's voice erupted from her earplug.

The burning sensations in her subdued a little at the call she was receiving from home. She activated her phone and continued the call. She made sure the holographic option was disabled as she did not want Blossom to see where she really was.

She couldn't risk telling anybody about anything. Ever. She would get in big trouble. Besides, she had observed her sisters and her classmates and nobody showed any signs of a similar condition.

"I'm coming back from school. I'll be home in about fifteen minutes." She approximated.

"Alright." Blossom said with her usual cold voice. "We're eating diner soon."

Her elder sister hung up and Buttercup sighed, then dashed towards the city above.

**-Z-**

_"So once again, the day is saved! Thanks to...The Powerpuff Girls!"_

Cheers erupted from everywhere. She could hear people screaming names that she was oddly familiar with...though she could not recall what they were.

On both sides, there were two girls, one blonde one brunette. Her own red hair whipped in her face because of the wind. Everybody had weird facial expressions, expressions that she did not recall having seen before. Their lips were curved upwards and their mouths were open to show their teeth. Hands were either up in the air or clapping. Applauding.

And their eyes...The citizens had different eyes...It was as if everybody's eyes were shining from something that she was not at all familiar with. Yet at the same time, her body reacted to it.

From the ambiance of the setting, she began to feel strange. She did not know this feeling, she had never felt this way before. Her stomach was feeling extremely hot, burning even. She felt her cheeks flush and her lips curve upwards the same way the others had curved theirs. The heat radiated through her entire body, this feeling taking control of her, making her almost dizzy.

What is happening? She asked herself.

Then, she felt arms surrounding her from behind. Embracing her. His smell was intoxicating and she closed her eyes and breathed in his fresh, masculine smell that she knew was his and only his. She did not need to turn around. She knew who he was.

Now her body was going wild with another feeling she had not been familiar with at all. Her heartbeat increased dramatically, so much she thought she was going to be sick.

"Blossom..." He simply said. His voice was rich, deep and ignited in her a feeling of...

A feeling of...

Blossom awoke from her dream, her head hurting and her heart beating wildly.

She panted and noticed that she was out of breath. She coughed and breathed in deeply in order to get some air. She placed a hand on her forehead.

It was hot. Abnormally so.

Her senses returned quickly to her and she noticed that her skin was glowing. The slight glow was pink and very bright.

_Again?_ She thought. This was the fifth time she had had dreams like that. Each time, she had woken up with a fever and glowing skin.

However, something inside of her told her that she couldn't tell anybody about it. There was this force inside, almost like an instinct that stopped her from speaking, even though she knew that her condition was extremely deviant from any kind of conditions known to human medicine.

Blossom's body was still hot when the glowing stopped. She tried to recall the dream each time, though she rarely got to remember all of it.

She opened her dream journal and started writing.

_September 2nd,_

_-Town, saved the day... People cheering_

_-Two other girls, Bubbles and Buttercup?_

_-Shining eyes_

_-Feeling warm? Heartbeat increased._

She stopped for a moment. Her head was hurting so much...

_-A boy?_

_-Powerpuff?_

By the time she wrote her last words, her head hurt so badly that she had to stop. She put away her dream journal in her metallic drawer and began to dress up to go to school.

_School._ Her favorite part of the day.

That same instinct that compelled her not to tell anybody about the dreams or her physiological symptoms when she woke up also compelled her to learn. She needed to learn. She needed to know more, to think, to analyze, to experiment, to draw conclusions. She needed to absorb information.

The thought of knowing and thinking produced a familiar feeling inside of her...though she could not recall what it was.

The instinct was telling her to learn. She needed to know more.

She knew this kind of feeling was prohibited by the governing council. It was strictly stated in the code of laws of the floating city of Townsville that anybody who was caught learning more than they should would be severely punished by the governor himself.

_But why?_ She thought. It didn't make any sense. Shouldn't more knowledge be beneficial to society?

She said hello to her sisters, Bubbles and Buttercup in the kitchen. They were part of their designated family unit here in Townsville. They had a mother and a father, who were their guardians until they turned eighteen and became full members of society.

_Members of society. _Blossom recited in her head. She had a test today. _Citizens contributing to the economical organization and survival of the floating city of Townsville with their evaluated physical, intellectual and mental abilities. Member of society love and obey laws._

"Good morning." She said quickly to her family.

"Good morning." They replied with the same tone they had for all of her life.

_No warm feeling._ She noticed. Though she did not know why it was a surprise to her, she was probably the only one aware of this undetermined and unanalyzed feeling.

She needed to know more, she needed to learn.

Blossom quickly ate her breakfast and drank a glass of water. She felt relief as the liquid flowed down her throat and refreshed her body. She needed to calm down. This urge wasn't normal, it wasn't the law.

The red head breathed in. Everything was ok now, people wouldn't notice her symptoms.

**-Z-**

Bubbles could hear everything.

She could hear her sister starting up her aeromobile to go to school. She could hear the traffic lights changing and the automobiles honking. She could hear the neighbours talking. She could hear the sounds of the billboards downtown. She could hear Buttercup's chewing as clearly as if she was in a movie theatre.

She could hear everything coming from everywhere. Her skull vibrated, overwhelmed with all of the noise. She felt like exploding from the never-ending sensations.

However, what alarmed her the most what that she could hear the voices of people she had never met before.

_"Bubbles!" _She heard a man's voice call her name. His voice was mature and full of love, he was probably around forty years old.

_"Bubbles! Oh thank god you're here!"_ Now, the voice was a woman's voice. Bubbles didn't know why, but she had the feeling that she was very beautiful and smart-

_"Bubbles…"_ It was a boy.

Her breathing and heartbeat were becoming irregular.

_"I love you."_

"Bubbles, are you okay?" Buttercup asked her.

The blonde's body functions returned to normal in a brutal way, as if somebody unplugged a computer.

She could no longer hear the world.

"Yes, I'm fine." She replied.

Buttercup knew that wasn't completely true though as she noticed how Bubble's eyes were glowing in a similar glow she did when she was flying.

_It's my imagination. _Buttercup thought. _I'm the only one. I have to be._

**-Z-**

There was something about this girl he saw at school. However, he could not place his finger on what was so intriguing about her.

He did not know her, but for some reason, he felt drawn toward her, and that was something he did not feel towards anyone. Not even his own family. It felt like his brain was being taken over. He followed her with his eyes as she walked to her desk and took a seat.

There was something different about her.

He felt his stomach swell and warm up. _Oh, this again._ He thought. Brick had gotten good at hiding it as soon as he noticed that nobody else showed the same signs as him.

He was deviant. He knew some classmates that showed signs of deviance, but they never returned to class. He never saw any of them again.

He felt alone, terribly alone.

Yet, something inside him flared up as soon as he allowed himself to think about this red-headed girl sitting two seats away from him.

_Why?_ He thought. _Why her?_

There was this burst of powerful energy inside of him that was making him unable to concentrate on his class. It was his instincts, almost forcing him to go interact with that girl. He felt like she was the key to his abnormal situation. Maybe she was the same? Maybe he wasn't alone?

The instinct had kept growing stronger and stronger everyday ever since he had laid his eyes on the girl with the long hair. It was getting harder and harder to ignore it.

_Conceal. _He thought. _Don't risk it._

**-Z-**

"It's been five years today." The woman lowered her eyes. "Do you think they'll come back? Food and water supplies are getting low and we can't risk going up on the surface anymore because of…him."

"We can't lose hope." The man replied. "They are stronger than anybody or anything."

The Professor adjusted his lab coat to protect himself from the cold of the underground.

"We simply cannot lose hope."


End file.
